Sexual Health Buzz

Valtrex is actually a very well studied drug. It is a prodrug for acyclovir, which has been around for 30+ years. Valtrex turns into acyclovir after it is absorbed which allows your body to get more of the drug into your system for longer (which is why you take Valtrex less frequently than acyclovir).

Although it has not been officially tested for use during pregnancy (very few drugs ever are as to do this would require testing on pregnant women … not a thing most people are happy with), it is considered safe to use when pregnant — a category “B” medication. There was at one time a pregnancy registry for acyclovir (the drug your body converts Valtrex into) that followed pregnant women. Somewhere close to 1000 women taking Valtrex while pregnant were followed and the rate of defects amongst that group was considered to be the same as for women not taking any medication. There was for a while a registry for Valtrex as well, but it ran for a shorter period of time and, although the results were similar, the number of women followed was not enough to draw as strong of conclusions.

Taking Acyclovir or Valtrex suppressively during the last weeks of pregnancy is recommended. Even though you are passing the antibodies onto your infant, the suppressive therapy should prevent you from shedding the virus and/or having an outbreak. During the last weeks of pregnancy your child is less likely to suffer any ill effects from any medication you may take. This is not to say you should not weigh your options and make your own decisions.

I took Valtrex throughout my pregnancy and my child is fine and beautiful. I was comfortable enough with the drug’s profile that I told my doctor up front that I intended to take the drug throughout my pregnancy to protect my partner.

I doubt you need to be concerned about allergic reactions, especially if you’ve taken the drug before as you would have had the reaction then. Valtrex/Acyclovir have very low allergic profiles (aka even people with a bad history of allergies normally don’t react to them). Antivirals are completely different beasts from antibiotics and just don’t wreak the havoc on your body that an antibiotic can. Valtrex/Acyclovir very specifically targets herpes by mimicking a substance the virus needs to reproduce. When the virus grabs onto the antiviral, the antiviral gets in the way of the virus being able to reproduce. The substance Valtrex/acyclovir mimics is not a substance your body needs so your body doesn’t tend to react to the drug much.

I’m trying to break down a complex bit of biochemistry here, so I may be guilty of oversimplifying how Valtrex/acyclovir works. There are some resources on the net that go into this stuff in detail and you may want to read up on them if you are interested in a more advanced explanation. – Lorraine

If you have something to say about herpes and what it’s like to be pregnant when you have herpes I’d love to hear from you. You can send me bits of advice OR your own personal story and I would be more than happy to publish it so that we can work to help people that don’t know enough about this to make a decision for themselves.

As with anything health related please see your own doctor. Our personal experiences shared do not indicate truth for everybody that is in similar situations. The information shared is based on our own personal experiences. No two herpes cases are alike.

Send me your story for publishing today!

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When you are pregnant and have herpes

America Attacked 9 1 1

September 11 News

1. I want to know what your herpes outbreaks are like!

If any of you would like to send me your description of what your herpes outbreaks were like when you first contracted it OR what they are like now I would be more than happy to add your comments to the page. If you would like to do so anonymously let me know what first name only OR alias name to use for those comments.

2. Brand new tea tree oil comments

For those that are looking for ways to get rid of the discomfort and pain that can sometimes follow a herpes outbreak, this might be something new try try if you haven’t already done so. Actually, this isn’t the first time somebody has sent me positive things to say about Tea Tree Oil. I also have friends that use it while they are waiting for their clinically proven herpes antivirals to kick in.

3. Some idiot wrote me today about my views on BHT

It never ceases to amaze me when butt heads like this one contact me out of the blue pissed off because I dare to speak my mind about something that I’m almost positive is nothing but snake oil. I’ve been helping people with herpes on the internet since 1997 and have established myself as somebody that will call it like I see it. That pisses off the snake oil salesmen I’m sure! So it’s no wonder I get nasty e-mails from people like that. They act as though people don’t see through their hogwash. Believe it or not Mr. Snake Oil BHT, people can and do see through what you are trying to do. People are smarter than you give them credit for and I will continue to call you out on it!

4. English speaking Caribbean H Pal and and H Pal for people with herpes in France

Christy is the same gal that wrote some of the books that I have featured in the sidebar of this blog. Check those out when you get the chance to. I’m sure she would love to hear from you as well.

ANGELA: Did you know that the whole aspartame controversy is an Urban Legend?

ALAN: New tests can now measure the amount of formaldehyde that Aspartame use has degraded into inside the human body. Why you choose to be an apologist for the Government is beyond me. I also see that your apologetics are not accepted online which means the American people are starting to wise up to the likes of you.

ANGELA: Apparently you have not checked SNOPES lately.

ALAN: Apparently you believe all the lies our government tells us. What is it in you that can live with all the harm that you are causing?

ANGELA: BHT has not been proven safe OR effective in doing squat for herpes.

ALAN: Do you think if you keep repeating that lie often enough that eventually it will become true?

ANGELA: If BHT were recognized as safe for herpes then it would have been crystal clear to everybody ages ago.

ALAN: BHT is recognized as safe and effective for herpes by all those who have treated themselves with it. Many people refuse to use the pharmacutical companies drugs because of the side affects, theyt may kill them and they don’t work.

ANGELA: I’ll go ahead and post your smart BHT comments on my feedback page though, no problem!

ALAN: Go ahead, just don’t bother to send me any more of your apologetics they are pathetic and I feel sorry for anyone who would believe a word out of your mouth.

This moron contacts me out of the blue and is pissed because I don’t buy into the whole BHT to treat herpes. I never have and I never will. Alan already knows this because his initial e-mail to me was rude and off base. I suppose he had already made up his mind when he realized he wasn’t going to change mine.

The other thing that is pretty hilarious is I don’t even have Alan in my e-mail address book. So where he gets off saying that I send him things is interesting and irritating all at the same time. Where do I find these morons? Anybody care to enlighten me? LOL

Herpes Question:

Where is the best place to get information on recent development in the field of fighting herpes infection? I’d be interested in signing up for clinical trials, as well as reading about recent discoveries, but I don’t know where to start?

Herpes Answer:

ClinicalTrials.gov

CenterWatch.com

Medline Plus Clinical Trials

These are all great resources. All I did was do a Google search for the keywords “Clinical Trials” and that is what I come up with. I am familiar with the CenterWatch.com site as that is one that I have used over the years.

Talk about clinical trials with other people

Herpes Question:

If a person is asymptomatic for periods of 1+ year and still taking suppressive therapy, can they be considered to be non-infectious?

Herpes Answer:

Not necessarily. Just because you are on suppressive therapy and can not see or feel any signs of a herpes outbreak doesn’t mean that there isn’t any viral activity on the surface of the skin.

Don’t get me wrong, suppressive therapy is an excellent way to protect an uninfected partner from contracting herpes. You add condoms to that mix and that’s even better protection.

In the fall of 2003 they came out with clinical study results that indicated suppressive therapy could reduce an uninfected partner’s chances of contracting herpes by 50%.

Remember, there are no guarantees and there isn’t anything out there that is totally and completely 100% effective.

I’m putting together an “outbreak” page because I have been getting A LOT of e-mails lately from people asking me about what the outbreaks are supposed to look and feel like.

What I need from you (if you are willing to help me out here) is a little note describing to me what your outbreaks are like. I’d like to be able to add your description to my page.

We all know that everybody is different and I think that is what I’d like to show on this new page for the site. I think it will help others to see that herpes outbreaks can have the typical symptoms but sometimes they aren’t so typical.

Does that make sense? So please, if you can send me a brief description of what your outbreaks look and feel like in your own words that would be fabulous.

I won’t use your name or e-mail or any of that ever. Only first names and/or alias names.

Thanks so much you guys,

Angela

Here’s another herpes story shared with the intent to let people know that they are not alone and that you should never ever settle with somebody just because they are understanding of your herpes status. Always and forever listen to you gut no matter what! If you have red flags popping up at every turn pay attention to them.

The story is called My Big Herpes Secret

I hope you will send me your story so that I can post and share it on my site. If you don’t want to use your read name that is fine. I will take first names only OR an alias.

Don’t be afraid to share your story. Your story can be about anything. It doesn’t have to be about herpes OR stds. You can also write about something that has helped you to move on in life if you think it will help somebody out there that might read it.

Send me your story today!

Inspirational Stories home page

The FDA has approved Teva Pharmaceutical Industries’ ANDA to market famciclovir 125, 250, and 500 mg tablets, indicated for the treatment of recurrent herpes labialis (cold sores) in immunocompromised patients, recurrent mucocutaneous herpes simplex infections in HIV-infected patients, acute herpes zoster (shingles), and the treatment or suppression of recurrent genital herpes in immunocompetent patients. The medication is generically equivalent to Famvir by Novartis. Teva has been awarded a 180-day period of marketing exclusivity.

Read what people have to say about Famvir

Talk about Famvir and other Herpes Antivirals